Flooding and landslides kill 50 in Burundi after torrential rains

At least 50 people have died due to torrential rains and landslides in the central African country of Burundi.

Heavy rain started falling on Sunday night, causing fast and severe flooding in and around the national capital of Bujumbura.

Power has been cut to almost the entire city and some witnesses have reported seeing huge boulders dislodged and massive landslips.

Police say several hundred homes have been destroyed and hundreds of people were injured.

Public security minister Gabriel Nizigama said officials have 50 bodies in the mortuary, but says the death toll is likely to rise.

Mr Nizigama, touring the disaster zone with other ministers, promised food aid to those who lost their homes and said the government would bear the cost of burying relatives and would provide new housing.

"The injured are receiving treatment in different public hospitals free of charge. The government has also agreed to take over the burial of the victims," Mr Nizigama said.

Locals say the floods were a disaster for stricken communities as many people have been left destitute.

One woman said she was swept from her home by the water.

"It is the first time I see such a rain in my life," she said.

"The strength of the rain swept me from the house up to a distance of 50 meters."

On the floor of a hospital in Kamenge, just outside of Bujumbura, lay the dead bodies of young children, waiting for their relatives to identify them before proceeding for burial.

Nurses at the hospital say they have received several bodies, mostly children, and are expecting more.

"We have received 41 bodies so far in this hospital, 37 children and four men," said a nurse.

The landlocked country is requesting help from its international partners to assist the affected families.